A Blue Dream
by Fox the Writer
Summary: Sometimes in the midst of despair, hope can come from unexpected places. What if it came from a ring of light?


"Oh, no. No... it isn't true. It's just no use." That's what Cinderella told herself.

Her only chance of freedom, her dream of going to the ball and having the time of her life, to dance into the midnight hours... all taken away in one fell swoop by her stepmother and stepsisters. She was left with nothing but a torn dress and a shaken spirit. Now she was out in the garden, weeping with no one but her animal friends around to look on in sorrow and helplessness.

All those years, she worked so hard for a better life, and it all led to this?

"No use at all," she muttered into the soaked bench.

The dream was gone.

...

But where there's hope... small blue fireflies twinkled in the air and slowly hovered towards the young woman. At first glance, the animals deemed them too small to notice and admire.

But then the animals did double takes. Those weren't fireflies!

Intrigued, the mice, dog and horse took tentative steps closer to investigate what was going on.

Their twinkling star-shaped forms made no sound, and they floated towards an unaware Cinderella as if by some unseen force. Individual sparks of light arrived from random directions - up, down, left, right, every which way they manifested from to approach her. They glowed brightly, and their collective cloud of radiance bathed the garden in a silvery blue light. They drew closer and closer to her, and as they did, they swarmed into one and strengthened their light. The light began to take shape, stretching and molding into a singular form. The starry points themselves faded away and changed color as the form took on a more recognizable appearance. The silvery white light brightened into a beautiful blue.

The starry points dissipated away entirely. In their place, a living, breathing person came into existence, signified by the clear ringing of a bell. But this was no ordinary person.

Clothed in a rich blue and black tight uniform, the person was pale grayish-white in complexion. Their long and elongated cranium seemed to end in a tail behind the neck, with lines running up and down the head. Their eyes were large, black and round and they had no nose. The uniform covered them from neck to toe, with the hands and head uncovered. In the middle of the their chest sat a large lantern-like symbol - white lantern outlines encased in a black circle.

They possessed a heart too, for they smiled patiently as they sat on the bench where Cinderella wept. They allowed her to cry into their lap and release her stress. A slim hand held her shoulder to keep her steady.

"There's nothing left to believe in. Nothing," Cinderella continued to say.

Still smiling, the humanoid opened his mouth and asked, "Nothing? Are you sure you believe that?" His soft voice was warm like the sun.

"Oh, but I do - ! "

"Nonsense, sister! If you had lost all your hope, I wouldn't be here. And here I am!"

By this time, Cinderella realized she wasn't alone anymore. She stopped crying, looked up and gasped, slightly edging away in shock. A living, breathing person sat right before her eyes! But how?!

Taking her shock in stride, the humanoid kindly lifted her under the arms and helped her to her feet. "Come now, sister. Dry your tears. You can't go to your dance like that."

"The ball? O-oh, but I'm not - " She averted her eyes in shame at the ruined state of her dress. Her attention was brought back to the person as he spoke again.

"Of course you are. But we must hurry. Miracles, like hope, take a little time to grow."

"Miracles?"

"Yes. Behold." He lifted a hand. Curling his hand into a fist, he showed his hand to her. On one of his fingers, a beautiful ring engraved with the lantern symbol shone brightly. Pumping his fist into the air, the ring ignited a blue ray of light and shot out into the sky. It manifested itself into a beautiful shape of a horse. The horse seemed so alive as it galloped in the night sky so wildly and happily. Cinderella gaped and held a hand to her cheek in wonder. Who was this man?!

She wasn't the only one captivated by his power. Her animal friends, now having come closer, talked among themselves wondering how he brought the horse to life!

The display of light went on for a few more minutes before the man recalled the transparent equine back into his ring. Once the light returned to its place, and the ring fell silent of power.

"My ring can create beautiful constructs and shapes from imagination like magic," he explained. "But they can only be powered by pure hope."

"Magic... why, that must mean... that you're my fairy godmother!"

He slightly tilted his head. "I am afraid I don't recognize the expression, but I believe I understand your sentiment. I am Saint Walker, and I am a Blue Lantern."

Now it was Cinderella's turn to be confused. "I don't understand." What did the saint mean by that?

Smiling once more, the stranger - or rather, Saint Walker - cheerfully explained, "I am a guardian of hope, sister. You called me to you. I am here to light your path and help you with your dream."

"Help? How?"

A flash of light, blue as the sky, answered for him by illuminating the earth and everything in sight. An ethereal chime sung in the air. Cinderella and Saint Walker glanced upwards to find a lantern floating like an angel sent from above.

Saint Walker regarded the lantern fondly while Cinderella regarded it with curiosity. And this curiosity encouraged her to take a few steps forward to investigate this item.

Painted in metallic blue and made simple in design and functionality, it spun gradually in a clockwise motion. It sleek surface reflected Cinderella's own wonder and awe.

The lantern's enclosure holding the source of the light faced her, finally halting in its rotation. As it stilled, a small round object floated out of its luminous home and hovered before the young woman. A blue, glowing ring.

And it spoke in a voice so ancient, kind, and full of promise. **"Cinderella, you have the ability to instill great hope. Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps."**

"..." So many questions raced through her mind as she regarded the ring, the lantern, and finally Saint Walker. Everything was happening so swiftly and all at once. What should she do? A seed of doubt complained that this wouldn't help her in any way. After all, how could a ring help solve her problems? She never came across a ring that could do what Saint Walker just demonstrated. And yet...

She looked over to the man in question, as if needing some assurance. His affirmative nod gave her a small portion of that. "Trust in yourself, sister. Trust in the great hope that binds us all. Trust that you will go to your ball. Trust in the ring and me. You have what you need deep inside. I will teach you how to use your ring. Use it well, and the ring will bring your dreams to life.

All will be well."

His conviction was so strong and clear with those four words. Somehow she couldn't find any more reason to doubt about how this whole matter would enfold. No... perhaps it was best to take a leap of faith and see what would happen. After all... if he had gone this far to appear to her in this time of crisis, no matter how mysterious or otherworldly he may have appeared, why cast that aside?

The man waited to see what she would do, and behind him, so could the animals.

Moments passed, and then it was time. Taking a deep breath, she faced the ring again. She reached towards the ring and hoped for the best.

* * *

**A/N:** I'm back! After almost a whole year of not writing, it feels good to be back in the saddle. I am determined to post more written works up soon, and not necessarily just one-shots. Fingers crossed! Onto the piece itself, this was a one-shot partially inspired by One Lucky Unicorn's "Red" Big Hero Six/Red Lantern piece, and partially inspired by the notion that the Fairy Godmother is Cinderella's own personal source of hope. This is an AU of sorts with Saint Walker of the Blue Lantern Corps acting as the fairy godmother instead, but instead of using a wand, he uses his ring and gifts to inspire Cindy to make her dreams come true. By the way, many thanks to OLU for helping me with your advice on the opening for this one-shot!

With that, I 'hope' you all enjoy. :)


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